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Netherlands Company Formation Agents - How they (should) Work!
Are you thinking of starting a business in the Netherlands? One important step is finding a reliable company agent to help with legal and...
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Do you require eHerkenning to manage your Dutch business?
Probably yes, all Dutch companies will require to apply for a eHerkenning login, because it will be required to log in to Mijn Belastingdienst Zakelijk (MBD-Z), the successor to the old entrepreneur portal.
As an employer, you can only file your 2020 tax return via MBD-Z.
This also applies to corporate tax for 2019 and later. No transitional moment has yet been determined for MBD-Z for turnover tax. For the VAT return, you can therefore still log in to the old portal for entrepreneurs. Do you file your declaration via commercial accounting software? Then you will not need eHerkenning.
You also need eHerkenning to log into the EU Trader Portal or the EU Customs Trader Portal. You use these portals to request or change certain customs licenses and Binding tariff information.
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Who can use eHerkenning in the Netherlands?
To be able to apply for an eHerkenning account, your business must be registered in the Trade Register of the Chamber of Commerce (KVK).
In some situations it is not immediately clear whether you can request eHerkenning. Or should you do this in a specific way.
Therefore you will find a schedule with the most common exceptions and what you can do further on this page.
Are you unable or unwilling to register with the Chamber of Commerce? When filing tax returns you can choose other software. Or you can have your affairs arranged by an advisor. Unfortunately, this does not apply to arranging your customs matters. To be able to log in to the customs portals, you must always be registered at the Chamber of Commerce and have an RSIN number.
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Which reliability level does your business require for it’s eHerkenning account?
The short answer is that you are likely to need at least a level 3 reliability for your eHerkenning.
eHerkenning has different levels of reliability: eH1, eH2, eH2 +, eH3 and eH4. The higher the level, the more reliable you can log in. Do you log in to the tax authorities or customs? Then you need at least level eH3.
Do you already have eHerkenning, but of level eH1, eH2 or eH2 +?
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How to prepare your eHerkenning application
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House of Companies provides a full tutorial in our Dashboard, on how to apply for an eHerkenning account. You will be able to apply for eHerkenning yourself in the Netherlands.
Before you apply for the eHerkenning, you should consider the following steps:
Follow the steps below to request eRecognition.
Find out what you need eHerkenning for (and determine the highest level of reliability. In general, this is eH3 for companies).
Determine who will use eRecognition (Which employees you also like to authorise to deal on behalf of the company)
Choose a supplier (In our experience ‘We ID’ is the best)
You will also have to consider;
• Print: Print the application, all pages (PDF) on A4 paper size. Please do not use staples.
• Sign: Have the authorized representative (s) sign the agreement. ◦ The signatures must be handwritten, so no copy or scan. ◦ Please note that it is checked whether the signature matches the signature on the copy of ID.
• Add copy of identity document (s):
◦ The following are permitted: passport, identity card, driving license or Dutch foreign national document.
◦ If you choose to send in an identity card or a driver's license, you must make a copy of the front and back of the document.
◦ Make sure that the copies are legible and that the documents are valid for at least 1 month.
◦ Include copies of IDs of the legal representative (s) signing the agreement (as indicated in the agreement).
◦ Include copies of non-salaried administrator (s) / user (s) ID (as indicated in contract).
◦ The copy of your identity document will only be used to validate your application for eHerkenning and will be destroyed after validation. We advise you to write down the purpose of the copy on the copy of the identity document, for example “request eRecognition”.
• Send: Send all pages of the agreement in hardcopy to the service provider
If you request eHerkenning, it can take several weeks before you can use it. You can read more information on the site eHerkenning.
eHerkenning used in different scenarios
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In some scenarios it is not immediately clear if (and how!) to apply for eHerkenning. In the overview below you will therefore find the most common exceptions and an explanation of what you can do.
For which organization do you want to apply for eHerkenning? What can you do?
A sole proprietorship: Or you are a self-employed person.
You can log in to Mijn Belastingdienst Zakelijk with eHerkenning. But you can also log in with DigiD. You can request this via digid.nl/aanvragen.
You cannot apply for customs licenses with DigiD. Use an application form for this.
A discontinued company: You can request eHerkenning from 1 of the suppliers. The application goes through a separate procedure. Please contact the helpdesk of the suppliers by telephone or e-mail.
A foreign company: Do you have a Chamber of Commerce registration? Then you can request eHerkenning. Please note that some suppliers may want to make an appointment with you for physical identification. You can find more information about the registering a branch in the Netherlands in our dashboard.
Are you unable or unwilling to register with the Chamber of Commerce? In the case of the tax filing requirements, you could consider to use different accounting software. Or let an advisor take care of your affairs.
Do you want to apply for a customs authorization? Then you log in with the login method that is valid in the Member State where your business is established.
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The procedure and costs to apply for eHerkenning
eHerkenning is not a free tool, and requires several days to get activated (although same day service is available, it will be hard for global entrepreneurs to get it activated in 1 day).
eHerkenning is issued by suppliers that are recognized by the government. These suppliers must adhere to strict rules, and obviously spend money (and prefer to earn some) on innovation on their platform, and simplifying the application process. Therefore, annual fees apply to use the tool.
To apply for eHerkenning you have to go through some important steps. The processing time of your application depends on what is included in the Trade Register about your organization:
Are you the director or natural person of the applicant organization and fully authorized to act on behalf of the organization? Then the delivery time for requesting eHerkenning is approximately 0 - a few days;
If your organization has a complex board structure (with many and / or jointly authorized board members), or if it concerns several Chamber of Commerce for which eHerkenning has to be applied for, then provide all the necessary information for your application and also take delivery times into account.
An application must be correct and complete and include the correct documents and signatures. For example, your organization must be registered with the Chamber of Commerce in order to purchase eHerkenning. When processing applications EH3, the suppliers of eHerkenning must perform all kinds of checks on these data, such as identification and determining the authority. The processing time of your application depends, among other things, on what is included in the Trade Register about your organization.
Digidentity
QR code
1 year - € 41
2 years - € 69
3 years - € 89.95
(including face-to-face identification via mobile)
0 - several days
yes
We-ID
Username and password + SMS code or OTP via token
1 year: € 45, -
3 years: € 90, -
0 - several days
yes
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Our Services
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